OSM In Nepal

OSM has a strong and active community in Nepal, with organizations such as Kathmandu Living Labs, Youth Innovation Lab, and Naxa conducting mapping activities throughout the year. In addition, there’s a lot that you can do dependending on where you’re from:

If you are a government/non-government organization:

• You can provide your data to OpenStreetMap. Thousands of websites and publishers use OpenStreetMap as their source for geographical data. These include companies like Facebook, Microsoft, Apple and Amazon. Getting your data into OpenStreetMap would simultaneously allow you to:
  • increase the reach of your data,
  • engage the active OSM community (6 million global users, 16,000 active users everyday) in its maintenance, and
  • take advantage of thousands of tools within the OSM ecosystem.
• You can launch a city mapping project. The World Bank’s Open Data for Resilience Initiative (OpenDRI) was started in Nepal, and provides guides to launch city mapping initiatives.
• You can start and/or support a local mapping community. Follow the OSM Nepal Facebook page to learn more.
• You can generate digital and printed map books using OpenStreetMap data.

If you are a college/university:

• You can conduct OSM workshops for students and faculty.
• You can support student chapters dedicated to mapping. YouthMappers is a global organization that can help you do this.

If you are a student/volunteer:

• You can learn about OSM. This entry for OpenStreetMap in wikipedia, and the website LearnOSM.org is a great place to start.
• You can learn how to map. This website contains a range of beginner to advanced tutorials on OSM.
• You can learn about what’s happening in the local mapping scene by following the OSM Nepal facebook page.
• You can volunteer your mappings skills. The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team is always looking for mappers to support their mapping initiatives across the globe.